Turkish finale - excitement and frustration
The last day of the Under 23 Championships was again bright and cold with consistent skiing conditions. Alex Standen was unfortunately unwell so Britain was represented in the skiathlons by Fiona Hughes, Andrew Musgrave and Simon Platt.
In the Junior skiathlons there had been some congestion on the course and for the U23s the competition rules were amended so that lapped competitors would be stopped from continuing. Given the length of the laps (3.75km) this meant that the ladies would have to remain within 25% of the winner and for the men a more challenging 12.5%. The course consisted of a series of climbs and downhills in a compact area around a hill. From the top of the hill the spectators had an excellent view of both the classic and skate legs. It was particularly impressive to see the closely formed pack climb the long hill on the early classic loops, albeit the skiers spread out in the later stages of the races. Unusually for a ski competition, it was also possible to hear the calls to prayer from three nearby village mosques.
Fiona was seeded 38th out of the 41 starters in the women's 15km race and during the skate leg established herself in a small group of skiers who alternated the lead on the uphill and downhill sections. She was narrowly beaten to the finish by a Japanese girl who overtook her on the curve coming into the stadium, and finished 31st.
In the men's 30km race Simon Platt skied the classic leg well but regrettably along with several other skiers, he was stopped before his 6th lap because of the lapping rule. Out of 66 starters only 53 finished the race.
Andrew Musgrave had a very eventful, if frustrating race. Before he had even left the stadium area a Russian skier fell across his skis, which came off, so they were last out of the stadium. He recovered well and by the top of the steep hill he was back in mid-pack, only to have another skier crash into him on the downhill knocking him off the tracks and down an embankment. By the time he climbed back onto the tracks he was in last place but worked hard through the remaining classic laps to come into the changeover in 35th place, then skied a very fast skate section to finish 18th. Whilst disappointed that he had not improved on his 12th place in last year's race, he was resigned to what had been an unfortunate race.
It has been a busy and satisfying week for all with hard work from the athletes, coaches and the waxer, Bengt, who spent relentless hours at the course to ensure that the athletes had the best opportunity to perform at their peak levels.
